In order to perform digestion of a sample, the sample is usually placed in an open-ended recipient which is then closed and heated in a microwave oven. Some digestion systems only allow the heating of a single sample at a time and therefore a single sample holder is used. This practice is particularly time-consuming.
Other digestion systems allow several samples to be concurrently heated and so a multi-sample holder is used. These types of sample holders are usually generic racks that receive multiple open-ended recipients, such as test tubes.
For some digestion processes, heating may result in a large excess pressure in the recipient. To prevent damage or explosion, a valve is provided that automatically opens if a given internal pressure exceeds a threshold. Special sealing caps are used on the open-ended recipient to provide this function. However, having to manipulate such a sealing cap for each sample recipient is also time-consuming.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved system that is adapted for the specific needs of a digestion process for multiple samples concurrently.